Spruce Up Your Garden this Summer with These Design Trends
A contemporary house featuring wooden floors and a patio, with a sofa and a table placed on the deck
With summer at our doorsteps, now is the perfect time to take a look at your garden and think about how you can spruce it up, so that it’s in tip top condition and looking its best ready for you to sit out in and enjoy the sunny weather with friends and family.
Are you stuck for ideas? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the currently popular garden design trends that may offer you inspiration for your own garden, of course whilst mentioning some of our favourite Treatex products that will be your summer saviours when it comes to leaving your wooden features and furniture looking fresh this season.
So jump right in and read on now to learn more about keeping your garden on trend in 2023!
Current Furniture Trends
Mediterranean
Just because you may not be jetting off to bathe in the Mediterranean sun any time soon (unless you are, in which case lucky you!) doesn’t mean that you can’t bring the style of the Mediterranean outdoors to you.
In terms of landscaping, there is much more focus on the natural minerals associated with the Mediterranean landscape, so stone, sand and gravel are all favoured over irrigated lawns, offering the breathing space between plants and creating a more authentic and cohesive aesthetic. These also have the benefit of being much easier to maintain, since lawns instead require frequent mowing and watering, and they offer better drainage for your plants.
As for the plants you may include in a Mediterranean style garden, some classic choices could include:
- Olive trees
- Citrus plants
- Agapanthus
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Yuccas
- Ornamental grasses
Moving on to furniture choices, structures that provide shade are an integral part of a Mediterranean garden. Having a wooden pergola or arbour feature in your garden can create a focal point that also acts as a great seating space for socialising, whilst offering respite from the heat of the midday sun - which you could even take a step further by training some flowering or evergreen climbing plants to cover these.
Scandinavian
If you prefer a more minimalist aesthetic, then you may prefer to create a garden inspired by Scandinavian design.
Part of this includes using recycled, reused and reclaimed materials for your garden furniture. Recycled pallets can be effectively used to make garden lounge chairs or even a garden table. These are usually made from strong hardwoods, such as maple, oak or teak. When turning these into furniture, it is a good idea to protect them from water and UV rays, which can be done using the Teak Furniture Protector we offer here at Treatex.
As well as natural materials, Scandinavian garden design also uses a very natural colour palette, incorporating greens, greys, browns, black and white - all of which complement the plants and trees in the surrounding landscape. If you really want your plants and decorative features to pop, then using a white backdrop (whether that be a wall or fencing) can be really effective - our Cool Cotton shade from our Classic Colour Collection would be a great colour choice for painting wooden fences.
Country Cottage
If you frequent social media sites such as Pinterest and TikTok, then you’ll likely know all about the popularity of the ‘cottage core’ aesthetic. Well, country cottage gardens could be considered a subdivision of this, with this garden style becoming popular once more.
To achieve the quaint, cosy vibes associated with a quintessentially English country cottage, traditional wooden furniture is a must. We personally think you can’t go wrong with a classic bench, perfect for sitting with a cool drink and appreciating your blooming garden. Why not go even more traditional and opt for a teak kissing bench? These are perfect for spending time reading or relaxing in the garden with a partner and would add a quirky bit of character to your outdoor space.
To complete the look effectively, choose to plant a selection of wildflowers, such as daisies, honeysuckle, poppies and coneflowers - all of which bloom brilliantly and leave your garden looking like a colourful country paradise. These flowers are also great pollinators, so you’ll be doing your bit for biodiversity!
Maximising Space
Vertical Gardens
If you’re limited on space, but still want to make the most of your garden, then this rising trend is one that is perfect for you - vertical gardens. By growing upwards instead of outwards, you are still able to enjoy the benefits of getting outdoors and gardening and having an attractive, personalised outdoor space.
Arbours, trellising and pergolas are all great options for introducing plant life into your garden vertically, since they are great for training climbing plants (such as clematis or wisteria), yet (in the case of arbours and pergolas) offer a space for relaxing or socialising at the same time. The months when your climbers aren’t in bloom would then be a great time to rejuvenate the wood of these, removing any sun damaged layers of timber ready to then receive a coating of Treatex Preservative or Wood Oil.
Having a shelving unit with planter containers is also a great option, allowing you to have either a grow-your-own area for vegetables and herbs, or simply an attractive flower display. In the case of the latter, we think trailing plants look particularly effective and whimsical in these, since they offer lots of appealing colour and texture, yet still allow you to see the wood of the shelving and planters peeping through underneath.
Coating this with a finishing wood oil, such as one of our Treatex Exterior Oils, will ensure that this framing stays in its best condition and shines brilliantly through the plants all year round, whether there be rain or sunshine.
Dark Gates & Fences
When space is limited, creating the illusion of more space or minimising the appearance of boundaries is a great technique to distract from your garden’s smaller size. Creating this illusion all lies within the colour of your fence.
On one hand, many people choose to paint their fences white when they have a small garden; there is sound logic behind this, since white reflects more light than your standard brown fence, which often makes an area feel more spacious and airy. However, the real trick is to use black.
That’s right, you heard us correctly. Black. This is because a black background allows the vibrant greens and other colours within your garden to pop, drawing your attention more towards your plants and flowers and away from the boundaries in the background, thus giving a sense of there being more space than there actually is.
If you’d rather stay away from the black paint, then other dark colours work well, such as dark greys and deep greens, both of which blend well with the natural colours found in your garden. The paints from the Treatex Classic Collection would be perfect to use for painting your fences, designed with environmental sustainability in mind and leaving a high quality, opaque and durable wood finish. Our personal colour recommendations would be Black, Admiralty Grey, Ash Bark Green or Stygian.
Treatex Exterior Wood Products
However you decide to spruce up your garden this summer, protect all your timber furniture and features with Treatex products. With the UK summers hotter than ever, it’s important that your wood is protected from harmful UV rays, and of course from the rain and harsher weather conditions that we experience the rest of the year.
From our UV Oil to our Teak Protection, our products penetrate deep into the timber, helping to provide protection against the elements, weathering, degradation and water damage. Is your wooden furniture or cladding looking a little bit lack-lustre? Then top them up with a lick of fresh paint from our Classic Colour Collection, or perhaps one of our Exterior Oils for a more traditional finish that also gives a brilliant shine.
For more information about our company and products, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. We are always happy to help with any of your queries or questions.